high altitude areas such as Mt . Kenya and parts of the Rift Valley has made many sports scientists pitch camp to see if they can understand the connection between this and the sterling performances of our athletes .
Infrastructure : This one is double-edged but on the plus side , Kenya offers robust infrastructure for sports . While the major stadia are not fully world-class , with a little sprucing and modernization , they will continue playing host to continental and global events . Beyond the sports stadia , there are running tracks , camps , racing tracks and areas which give us an edge over our neighbouring countries . Supporting infrastructure such as roads , IT and media are also competitive though can be better . We ’ ll revisit this in another part of this article .
Populace : A well-educated population brings with it the benefit of affordable workforce , discerning fan , and rich networks from the continental and global space . A case in point is the FIA , with senior officials such as FIA VP for Africa - Surinder Thathi . Having been part of the motor racing and rallying world in Kenya , upon his retirement was able to be integrated within the higher echelons of the sport . It is no coincidence that it ’ s through his and other local efforts that the Safari Rally was able to return to the World Rallying Circuit
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Why has Kenya not become the sports powerhouse that it ought to be ? How best can the sports federations and associations bring their strengths together to foster national unity ?
( WRC ) stable in 2019 ( though postponed till 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic ).
From a talent perspective , the Kenyan population are deemed to be natural - what with the flair and tenacity seen in some of the sports her citizens participate in ? Look at your rugby 7s both men and women - the teams remain fan favourites across the world .
The country ’ s population also acts as the first port of contact or cheer when our individual and team sports perform well . With the right atmosphere , we have seen the ordinary Kenyan citizen flood sports venues and events for non-traditional sports such as golf , basketball , and beach volleyball .
Areas of Improvement
But to be a consistent powerhouse in sports beyond the regional and compete at a global stage , the country still needs to invest in : Improved Infrastructure : Modern and improved sports infrastructure that is . Some of the best sports events have evaded the country or moved to other countries within the continent due to poorly maintained infrastructure . Our main stadia boost of improved facilities , but still fall short of hosting some global sports events . Indoor games such as basketball , handball and volleyball do not have enough playing spaces for clubs and national teams . Comparing these with some of our immediate neighbours makes us less competitive in hosting tournaments and international events .
Technology : Use of technology in running and managing our sports can be enhanced further . We have seen some of our top athletes embrace this at an individual level to astonishing performances . Talk of Eliud Kipchoge , Ferdinand Omanyala or Julius Yego . But for every successful athlete , there are 5 if not more in a similar state whose talents is stunted or stifled due to lack of cutting-edge technology . The same goes for our team sports .
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